Bond, others will still yield good results when cut without it. Some users prefer to iron their fabrics to freezer
paper before cutting as it can be easily removed afterwards.
• With or without a stabilizer, it is highly recommended that a clean and sticky mat be used. If no stabilizer has
been applied, then brayer the fabric firmly and evenly to the mat. With most fabrics it will be necessary to
use stickier mats than normal and tape the outside edges of the fabric to the mat.
• Because the backing sheets on Steam-a-Seam 2 and Heat n’ Bond are slippery, spraying them with Odif
USA 505 Temporary adhesive can then make them stick firmly to the mat and not slip during cutting. Some
residue from the 505 may get onto the mat, thus the reason to use a dedicated mat for fabric. This residue
will add to the bonding for future cuts.
• Some users also prefer to remove the backing sheets on stabilized fabrics before brayering to the cutting
mats. This works as well.
• The best unstiffened (soft) felt to use is 100% wool. It cuts cleaner than other types. A wool blend, such as
35% wool / 65% Dacron should also work well. If the felt you have is not cutting well, consider applying one
of the stabilizers mentioned above.
• If the felt is pre-stiffened, then it should cut fine using the blue capped thick materials blade versus the fabric
blade. Because of the thickness, you may need to tape the felt to the mat to prevent slippage during cutting.
• In general, you will need to use 2 or 3 passes when cutting most fabrics and felts. It is necessary so that all
fibers will be cleanly cut.
5.05 Cake Decorating Tips
• Here are some ways to use the SOLO in cake decorating:
Cupcake wrappers (refer to Section 7.10 of the StarCraft CREATE User Manual)
Icing sheets: both regular and Print+Cut
Stencils for airbrushing cakes
Fondant, gum paste, Sugar Veil cut shapes
Templates from thin chipboard to use as patterns when cutting thick layers of gum paste
• Icing sheets can be cut on the regular SOLO mat, although it’s a good idea to have one dedicated to cake
use only. The same is true for the blade holder and blade.
• Press the icing sheet to the mat, making sure the pinch rollers will not travel over the icing sheet! The plastic
backing on the sheet acts just like the backing on vinyl - cut through just the icing, leave the backing intact.
Peel off the cut and put the leftover sheet back in the bag.
• When cutting fondant or gum paste, roll it out and place it on a lightly greased piece of wax paper, and stick
that down on the sticky mat. Whether you cut through the wax paper or not, the wax paper makes it easier
to get the cut shapes off the mat without distorting them. Some people prefer to use shortening applied to a
mat with no adhesive, however, it can be tricky getting the shapes cleanly off the mat.
• The SOLO can be used to cut icing sheets for decorating cakes or cupcakes. You can even use the
Print+Cut technique covered in Section 3.03 to cut printable icing sheets, like those made by PhotoFrost.
For safe consumption, you should print on the icing sheets with edible ink suitable for your printer.
• Because icing sheets are so thin and soft, they are very easy to cut with the SOLO red capped blade. Try
using the copy paper settings for your test cut and adjust accordingly.
• After cutting an icing sheet, carefully remove the waste first. Then gently remove the cut pieces. To apply to
a cake, brush the back of the cut pieces with either shortening or water for better adhesion.
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